A male king cobra in a defensive posture by the edge of a river in Malaysia.

A Chinese chef died after a snake bit his hand, 20 minutes after he had decapitated it.

The victim, Peng Fang from Foshan, Guangdong province, had been making a meal using the Indochinese Spitting Cobra as an ingredient. He went to throw the snake's head in the bin, but it bit him in a reflexive action, according to the Mirror.

By the time a snake has lost its head, it's effectively dead as basic body functions have ceased, but there is still some reflective action.It means snakes have the capability of biting and injecting venom even after the head has been severed.